Hybrid cameras that concurrently capture both photographic film and electronic images of a scene are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,470, which describes a hybrid camera containing systems for capturing respective images onto a photographic film and an electronic imaging element, such as an area array of charge coupled devices (CCD). The camera has an optical system, in combination with a shutter release mechanism, allowing a still image to be captured by the photographic film and the electronic imaging element, either sequentially using a single optical system or essentially simultaneously using parallel optical systems.
Hybrid cameras also may include a display, usually a liquid crystal display (LCD) provided in the rear of the camera which allows the user to either review or preview the image. The user then may opt to process the captured photographic image based on the still electronic image, or in the review mode, the user may alternately decide not to process the reviewed image as captured on the photographic film. Such a hybrid camera is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,369 in which the user is given an option as to whether to preview a selection after electronic image capture or review after the photographic and electronic images have been captured. In other examples of the prior art, instructions can be given as to whether exposure control, illumination, etc., should be augmented based on the still image, therefore providing guidance to the photo finisher. In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,117, an image verifier camera is described in which the electronic sensor is used to control the recording of the image onto photographic film. The user is allowed to select those frames captured by the camera which are to be processed and printed by use of the electronic display. Additionally, these cameras can also record data relating to how the selected frame(s) are to be printed; that is, information relating to cropping, zoom, and exposure. Each of the above examples are indeed useful for previewing an electronic image to determine whether a silver halide (conventional photographic) image of interest should be taken, or alternately, if the image has already been taken, whether or not instructions should be given to the photo finisher to modify processing or providing cropping, enlargement, etc.
A more recent development in the photographic field, commonly referred to as the Advanced Photographic System (APS), includes cameras sold under the trademark Advantix, by the Eastman Kodak Company. These camera utilize a photographic filmstrip having a transparent magnetic layer including plural longitudinal magnetic tracks on the border of the filmstrip which begin and end within individual frames. Each magnetic track is dedicated to the reading and writing of data in a predetermined format, the data relating to the corresponding frame, for easy access by a user or photo finisher. Each user has the capability to read and/or write information in self-identifying data in the corresponding tracks. An example of this format is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,810, which hereby is incorporated by reference as part of the disclosure of the present invention. The use of the magnetic tracks has found a number of useful applications, particularly relating to the photoprocessing field. For further information on cameras having magnetic tracks, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,635, which describes a camera having a dual capture system which includes a video monitor which is used in writing photo finishing instructions onto the magnetic track of the film.
Schemes have been proposed for magnetically recording on the photographic film information useful in organizing photographs in an album. For example, information recorded may represent a series of album pages which have been preselected by a previewer and written onto the magnetic layer of the film, thereby allowing the user to select both the image and the desired page as well as the position of the print on the page of interest. However, the recording is made upon processing and is placed on the film upon return of the photographic order from the film processor. One of these album organization schemes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,418, which describes optically encoding information onto a filmstrip for orienting an array of processed images onto an album page. This patent, however, does not describe a camera having an electronic display or viewfinder to review prints to orient the captured images for presentation within an album format.
The creation of a meaningful album of photographs is also enhanced by a system embodying the invention which enables combination of textual information, such as screen-related data or other information, in addition to date stamping, with the photographic prints selected for album formatting in order to provide text on the same album pages as the prints of a processed order.